U.S. patent number 6,205,995 [Application Number 09/552,832] was granted by the patent office on 2001-03-27 for portable cooking apparatus.
Invention is credited to Joseph A. Odenwald.
United States Patent |
6,205,995 |
Odenwald |
March 27, 2001 |
Portable cooking apparatus
Abstract
A portable cooking apparatus for allowing the user to
conveniently cook any types of foods anywhere including outdoors.
The portable cooking apparatus includes includes a carrying case
having a bottom wall, side walls, a back wall, an open front, and a
cover having a back edge which is hingedly attached to the back
wall and also having a latch member securely attached at a front
edge thereof, and a handle member securely disposed at the open
front and being adapted for carrying the carrying case; and also
includes a griddle member being securely mounted inside the
carrying case; and further includes a heating assembly for heating
the griddle member to temperatures capable of cooking foods
thereupon; and also includes a receptacle being removably mounted
to a first one of the side walls of the carrying case for receiving
juices and fats from the foods being cooked upon the griddle
member; and also includes a plurality of adjustable leg members
threaded in the bottom wall of the carrying case for supporting the
carrying case upon a surface when the portable cooking apparatus is
being used as such.
Inventors: |
Odenwald; Joseph A. (Hartford,
WI) |
Family
ID: |
24206999 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/552,832 |
Filed: |
April 20, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
126/38; 126/25R;
126/9R; 99/425 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24C
3/14 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F24C
3/14 (20060101); F24C 3/00 (20060101); F24C
005/20 () |
Field of
Search: |
;126/38,40,9R,9B,41R,25R,29,275R ;99/400,444,446,425 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Yeung; James C.
Assistant Examiner: Cocks; Josiah C.
Claims
I claim:
1. A portable cooking apparatus comprising:
a carrying case having a bottom wall, side walls, a back wall, an
open front, and a cover having a back edge which is hingedly
attached to said back wall and also having a latch member securely
attached at a front edge thereof, and a handle member securely
disposed at said open front and being adapted for carrying said
carrying case;
a griddle member being securely mounted inside said carrying
case;
a means for heating said griddle member to temperatures capable of
cooking foods thereupon;
a receptacle being removably mounted to an outer surface of a first
one of said side walls of said carrying case for receiving juices
and fats from the foods being cooked upon said griddle member;
a plurality of adjustable leg members threaded in said bottom wall
of said carrying case for supporting said carrying case upon a
surface when said portable cooking apparatus is being used as
such;
a top edge of said first one of said side walls including a notch
therethrough and also including a lip member extending along a
bottom edge of said notch and integrally extending outwardly from
an exterior of said first one of said side walls;
said receptacle including a bottom wall, side walls, a back wall,
and a front wall, said back wall including a slot extending in a
top edge thereof, said lip member of said first one of said side
walls being extendable into said slot into said receptacle upon
said receptacle being mounted to said carrying case; and
said receptacle further including a mounting bracket securely
attached to and extending outwardly of said back wall thereof, said
mounting bracket defining a channel adapted to receive the top edge
of said first one of said side walls to securely support said
receptacle upon said carrying case with said slot in communication
with said notch for permitting grease flow from said griddle member
through the slot and notch into said receptacle.
2. A portable cooking apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein
said carrying case further includes an exhaust hole extending
through said back wall thereof.
3. A portable cooking apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein
said griddle member is spaced above and essentially disposed
parallel to said bottom wall of said carrying case.
4. A portable cooking apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein
said mounting bracket includes a first portion which is securely
attached along a portion of said top edge of said back wall and
which extends outwardly therefrom, and also includes a second
portion which is angled relative to said first portion and which is
spaced from and disposed generally parallel to said back wall of
said receptacle.
5. A portable cooking apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein
said means for heating said griddle member includes a plurality of
heating elements securely disposed inside said carrying case
between said bottom wall of said carrying case and said griddle
member, and also includes a plurality of control valve members
mounted to said heating elements for regulating flow of gas to said
heating elements; and further includes a conduit member detachably
connected to said heating elements and being adapted to be
detachably connected to an energy source.
6. A portable cooking apparatus as described in claim 5, wherein
each of said heating elements includes an endless tubular member
having a plurality of holes extending therein and spaced therealong
and also includes a tubular stem extending from said tubular member
and having an end which is connectable to said conduit member with
a threaded sleeve-like connector.
7. A portable cooking apparatus comprising:
a carrying case having a bottom wall, side walls, a back wall, an
open front, and a cover having a back edge which is hingedly
attached to said back wall and also having a latch member securely
attached at a front edge thereof, and a handle member securely
disposed at said open front and being adapted for carrying said
carrying case, said carrying case further including an exhaust hole
extending through said back wall thereof, said first one of said
side walls including an opening therethrough and also including a
downwardly-turned lip member extending along a bottom edge of said
opening and integrally extending outwardly from an exterior of said
first one of said side walls;
a griddle member being securely mounted inside said carrying case,
said griddle member being spaced above and essentially disposed
parallel to said bottom wall of said carrying case;
a receptacle being removably mounted to an outer surface of a first
one of said side walls of said carrying case for receiving juices
and fats from the foods being cooked upon said griddle member, said
receptacle including a bottom wall, side walls, a back wall, and a
front wall, said back wall including a slot extending in a top edge
thereof, said downwardly-turned lip member of said first one of
said side walls being extendable through said slot into said
receptacle upon said receptacle being mounted to said carrying
case, said receptacle further including a mounting bracket securely
attached to and extending outwardly of said back wall thereof, said
mounting bracket being adapted to extend over a top edge of said
first one of said side walls to securely support said receptacle
upon said carrying case, said mounting bracket including a first
portion which is securely attached along a portion of said top edge
of said back wall and which extends outwardly therefrom, and also
including a second portion which is angled relative to said first
portion and which is spaced from and disposed generally parallel to
said back wall of said receptacle;
a means for heating said griddle member to temperatures capable of
cooking foods thereupon including a plurality of heating elements
securely disposed inside said carrying case between said bottom
wall of said carrying case and said griddle member, and also
including a plurality of control valve members mounted to said
heating elements for regulating flow of gas to said heating
elements; and further including a conduit member detachably
connected to said heating elements and being adapted to be
detachably connected to an energy source, each of said heating
elements including an endless tubular member having a plurality of
holes extending therein and spaced therealong and also including a
tubular stem extending from said tubular member and having an end
which is connectable to said conduit member with a threaded
sleeve-like connector; and
a plurality of adjustable leg members threaded in said bottom wall
of said carrying case for supporting said carrying case upon a
surface when said portable cooking apparatus is being used as
such.
8. The cooking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the griddle member
comprises a first surface, said first surface being uniformly
smooth.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable griddle and more
particularly pertains to a new portable cooking apparatus for
allowing the user to conveniently cook any types of foods anywhere
including outdoors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of a portable griddle is known in the prior art. More
specifically, a portable griddle heretofore devised and utilized
are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious
structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs
encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for
the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,791,368; 5,575,195;
4,321,857; 5,752,497; 3,490,433; and U.S. Pat. No. Des.
262,595.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives
and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new
portable cooking apparatus. The inventive device includes a
carrying case having a bottom wall, side walls, a back wall, an
open front, and a cover having a back edge which is hingedly
attached to the back wall and also having a latch member securely
attached at a front edge thereof, and a handle member securely
disposed at the open front and being adapted for carrying the
carrying case; and also includes a griddle member being securely
mounted inside the carrying case; and further includes a heating
assembly for heating the griddle member to temperatures capable of
cooking foods thereupon; and also includes a receptacle being
removably mounted to a first one of the side walls of the carrying
case for receiving juices and fats from the foods being cooked upon
the griddle member; and also includes a plurality of adjustable leg
members threaded in the bottom wall of the carrying case for
supporting the carrying case upon a surface when the portable
cooking apparatus is being used as such.
In these respects, the portable cooking apparatus according to the
present invention substantially departs from the conventional
concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an
apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing the user
to conveniently cook any types of foods anywhere including
outdoors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types
of portable griddle now present in the prior art, the present
invention provides a new portable cooking apparatus construction
wherein the same can be utilized for allowing the user to
conveniently cook any types of foods anywhere including
outdoors.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be
described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new
portable cooking apparatus which has many of the advantages of the
portable griddle mentioned heretofore and many novel features that
result in a new portable cooking apparatus which is not
anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of
the prior art portable griddle, either alone or in any combination
thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises includes
a carrying case having a bottom wall, side walls, a back wall, an
open front, and a cover having a back edge which is hingedly
attached to the back wall and also having a latch member securely
attached at a front edge thereof, and a handle member securely
disposed at the open front and being adapted for carrying the
carrying case; and also includes a griddle member being securely
mounted inside the carrying case; and further includes a heating
assembly for heating the griddle member to temperatures capable of
cooking foods thereupon; and also includes a receptacle being
removably mounted to a first one of the side walls of the carrying
case for receiving juices and fats from the foods being cooked upon
the griddle member; and also includes a plurality of adjustable leg
members threaded in the bottom wall of the carrying case for
supporting the carrying case upon a surface when the portable
cooking apparatus is being used as such.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important
features of the invention in order that the detailed description
thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that
the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
There are additional features of the invention that will be
described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the
claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the
invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is
not limited in its application to the details of construction and
to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following
description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is
capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out
in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology
and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description
and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be
utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods
and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present
invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded
as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not
depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and
especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art
who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to
determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence
of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is
neither intended to define the invention of the application, which
is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to
the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new
portable cooking apparatus which has many of the advantages of the
portable griddle mentioned heretofore and many novel features that
result in a new portable cooking apparatus which is not
anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of
the prior art portable griddle, either alone or in any combination
thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new
portable cooking apparatus which may be easily and efficiently
manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new
portable cooking apparatus which is of a durable and reliable
construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new
portable cooking apparatus which is susceptible of a low cost of
manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which
accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the
consuming public, thereby making such portable cooking apparatus
economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
new portable cooking apparatus which provides in the apparatuses
and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while
simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally
associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new
portable cooking apparatus for allowing the user to conveniently
cook any types of foods anywhere including outdoors.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new
portable cooking apparatus which includes includes a carrying case
having a bottom wall, side walls, a back wall, an open front, and a
cover having a back edge which is hingedly attached to the back
wall and also having a latch member securely attached at a front
edge thereof, and a handle member securely disposed at the open
front and being adapted for carrying the carrying case; and also
includes a griddle member being securely mounted inside the
carrying case; and further includes a heating assembly for heating
the griddle member to temperatures capable of cooking foods
thereupon; and also includes a receptacle being removably mounted
to a first one of the side walls of the carrying case for receiving
juices and fats from the foods being cooked upon the griddle
member; and also includes a plurality of adjustable leg members
threaded in the bottom wall of the carrying case for supporting the
carrying case upon a surface when the portable cooking apparatus is
being used as such.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
new portable cooking apparatus that is convenient and easy to carry
and take almost anywhere thus allowing the user to essentially cook
most any types of food.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a
new portable cooking apparatus that can be easily and quickly set
up as a cooking apparatus.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the
various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are
pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming
a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the
invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects
attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying
drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated
preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and objects other than
those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is
given to the following detailed description thereof. Such
description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a new portable cooking
apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the heating elements of the
present invention.
FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a detailed perspective view of the receptacle and first
one of the side walls of the carrying case of ithe present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1
through 4 thereof, a new portable cooking apparatus embodying the
principles and concepts of the present invention and generally
designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.
As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, the portable cooking
apparatus 10 generally comprises a carrying case 11 having a bottom
wall 12, side walls 13,14, a back wall 15, an open front 16, and a
cover 17 having a back edge 18 which is hingedly attached to the
back wall 15 and also having a latch member 20 securely and
conventionally attached at a front edge 19 thereof for closing and
securing the cover 17 upon a top of the carrying case 11. The
carrying case 11 also includes a handle member 48 securely and
conventionally disposed at the open front 16 and being adapted for
carrying the carrying case 11. The carrying case 11 further
includes an exhaust hole 22 extending through the back wall 15
thereof with the first one 13 of the side walls including an
opening 23 therehrough and also including a downwardly-turned lip
member 23 extending along a bottom edge of the opening 23 and
integrally extending outwardly from an exterior of the first one 13
of the side walls. A griddle member 21 is securely and
conventionally mounted inside the carrying case 11 with the griddle
member 21 being spaced above and essentially disposed parallel to
the bottom wall 12 of the carrying case 11.
A receptacle 25 is removably mounted to the first one 13 of the
side walls of the carrying case 11 for receiving juices and fats
from the foods being cooked upon the griddle member 21. The
receptacle 25 includes a bottom wall, side walls 28,29, a back wall
26, and a front wall 27. The back wall 26 includes a slot 30
extending in a portion of a top edge thereof. The downwardly-turned
lip member 24 of the first one 13 of the side walls is extendable
through the slot 30 into the receptacle 25 upon the receptacle 25
being mounted to the carrying case 11. The receptacle 25 further
includes a mounting bracket 31 securely and conventionally attached
to and extending outwardly of the back wall 26 thereof. The
mounting bracket 31 is adapted to extend over a top edge of the
first one 13 of the side walls to securely support the receptacle
25 upon the carrying case 11. The mounting bracket 31 includes a
first portion 32 which is securely and conventionally attached
along a portion of the top edge of the back wall 26 and which
extends outwardly therefrom, and also includes a second portion 33
which is angled relative to the first portion 32 and which is
spaced from and disposed generally parallel to the back wall 26 of
the receptacle 25.
A means for heating the griddle member 21 to temperatures capable
of cooking foods thereupon includes a plurality of heating elements
38,39 securely and removably disposed inside the carrying case 11
between the bottom wall 12 of the carrying case 11 and the griddle
member 21, and also includes a plurality of control valve members
45,46 conventionally mounted to the heating elements 38,39 for
regulating flow of gas to the heating elements 38,39, and further
includes a conduit member 47 detachably connected to the heating
elements 38,39 and being adapted to be detachably connected to an
energy source. Each of the heating elements 38,39 includes an
endless tubular member 40,41 having a plurality of holes 42
extending therein and spaced therealong and also includes a tubular
stem 43,44 extending from the tubular member 40,41 and having an
end which is connectable to the conduit member 47 with a threaded
sleeve-like connector 49. A plurality of adjustable leg members
34-37 are threaded in the bottom wall 12 of the carrying case 11
for supporting the carrying case 11 upon a surface when the
portable cooking apparatus 10 is being used as such.
In use, the user sits the carrying case 11 upon a surface with the
adjustable leg members 34-37 resting upon a surface, and then opens
the cover 17 from over the top of the carrying case 11 to expose
the griddle member 21 therein. Next, the user attaches an energy
source such as a propane tank to the conduit member 47 and opens
the control valve members 45,46 to regulate the flow of the gas to
the heating elements 38,39, and the user ignites the gas passing
through the heating elements 38,39 to heat the griddle member 21 to
temperatures capable of cooking various foods upon the griddle
member 21. When finished, the user turns off the control valve
members 45,46 and disconnects the energy source from the conduit
member 47 and closes and latches the cover 17 upon the carrying
case 11 and uses the handle member 48 to carry the carrying case
11.
As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of
the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above
description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the
manner of usage and operation will be provided.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized
that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the
invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form,
function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed
readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all
equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and
described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by
the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications
and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is
not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and
operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable
modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within
the scope of the invention.
* * * * *